Oral therapy tied to increased cardiovascular risk but not for estrogen-sensitive cancers<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) patches carry lower cardiovascular risk than oral HRT among women with type 2 diabetes, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held from Sept. 15 to 19 in Vienna.<\/p>\n
Matthew Anson, from University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and colleagues used TriNetX electronic health record data to understand cardiovascular risk and gynecological- and estrogen-related cancers among women with type 2 diabetes using and not using HRT in midlife. The analysis included data from three cohorts composed of 24,986 patients.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that in cohort 1, compared with HRT users without diabetes, transdermal HRT in women with diabetes was associated with a greater risk for deep vein thrombosis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.90; P = 0.002), ischemic heart disease (HR, 1.77; P < 0.001), and cerebral infarction (HR, 1.89; P < 0.001). There were no differences in rates of pulmonary embolism and breast, ovarian, or endometrial carcinoma. In cohort 2, among individuals with diabetes, use of transdermal HRT was associated with only a reduced risk for ischemic heart disease (HR, 0.75; P < 0.001) compared with nonusers. In cohort , among individuals with diabetes, use of oral versus transdermal HRT was associated with an increased risk for ischemic heart disease (HR, 1.21; P = 0.004) and pulmonary embolism (HR, 2.01; P < 0.001), but with no differences in risk for the other outcomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur study suggests that up to five years of regulator-approved doses of transdermal HRT appears safe in a large cohort of women in midlife with type 2 diabetes,\u201d Anson said in a statement. \u201cHowever, given increased risks with oral HRT, we propose that women with type 2 diabetes should not be prescribed oral estrogen therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n